Please note: The following resources are exclusively for registered students of the academy. Unauthorized downloading or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

CURRENT LESSON THEME

Term 1 2026: Watercolour Painting Techniques and Materials

This term introduces the fundamental techniques and materials of watercolour painting, exploring the range of approaches and stylistic possibilities within the medium.

Term Objectives (Embedded Throughout 10 Lessons)

  • Develop technical confidence with core watercolour methods and materials
  • Explore stylistic range: controlled, expressive, transparent, and layered approaches
  • Use the sketchbook as a thinking and planning tool for larger artworks
  • Build a transferable understanding of colour theory and colour mixing applicable to all painting media

Here is a basic, beginner-friendly list of materials:

  • Watercolour paints – (A small pan set or tubes)
  • The AAA basic colours –
    • Warm and cool red (Cadmium red + Alizarin Crimson).
    • Warm and cool yellow (Cadmium yellow + Lemon yellow).
    • Warm and cool blue (Ultramarine blue + Prussian blue).
    • Warm and cool green (Sap green + Viridian green).
    • Earth colours (Burnt Sienna, Burnt umber + Yellow Ochre)
    • A tube of titanium white gouache (for highlights and corrections)
  • Watercolour paper
    • At least 200–300 gsm (140 lb)
    • Cold or Hot-pressed
    • Pad, loose sheets, or block
  • Brushes
    • Round brushes in a few sizes (e.g. small, medium, large). Synthetic or natural hair both work
  • Water containers
    • Two jars/cups (one for rinsing, one for clean water)
  • Palette
    • White plastic or ceramic palette with wells
    • A white plate also works

Useful Extras

  • Paper towels or a clean cloth (for blotting brushes)
  • Pencil (2H or HB) for light sketching
  • Eraser (preferably soft or kneaded)
  • Masking tape (to secure paper and create clean edges)

Optional but Helpful

  • Board to tape paper onto (if using loose sheets)
  • Spray bottle (to keep paints moist)
  • Salt, candle wax, and masking fluid (for texture techniques)
Alexander Art Academy | Watercolour | Introduction to Watercolour | Header

1. INTRODUCTION TO WATERCOLOUR

Watercolour is a dynamic medium that lends itself to spontaneous painting. Because it is so versatile, watercolour can be used in a variety of ways to produce a wide range of marks and effects. In this first lesson, we will focus on materials and understanding the properties of watercolour…

2. WATER TO PAINT RATIO

This lesson focuses exclusively on understanding and controlling the water-to-paint ratio in watercolour. You will learn how varying amounts of water affect value, chroma, and transparency, and why mastering mixing strength is the foundation of all successful watercolour painting…

Alexander Art Academy | Watercolour | Basic Painting technique | Header

3. BASIC WATERCOLOUR PAINTING TECHNIQUES

This lesson will explore the two fundamental painting techniques of the watercolour: wet on dry (the indirect method) and wet into wet (the direct method)…

PAST LESSONS

ART TALKS & ARTICLES

Alexander Art Academy | Marc Alexander - Enchanted Forest II - Dreams of an Enchanted World | Gilding the Image

GILDING THE IMAGE

The Artist UK June 2016 edition

Transitioning from drawing basics to the art of portrait painting, applying your skills with brush and paint to capture structure, proportion, and expression. In these lessons, we examine and deconstruct the techniques of early 20th-century masters — John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn, and Joaquín Sorolla — to understand their approach to light, colour, and capturing likeness.

Alexander Art Academy | Portrait Painting - Basics | Header

1. PORTRAIT PAINTING – BASICS

In this first session, the focus is on establishing a strong foundation for portrait painting – how to mix chromatic black, sketch with an angle brush, and apply transparent and opaque layers of paint wet-into-wet to create a monochrome underpainting called a grisaille…

Alexander Art Academy | Portrait Painting | Flesh Tone Glazing Over Grisaille

2. PORTRAIT PAINTING – FLESH TONE GLAZING

By understanding the optical science of transparency, the principles of fat over lean, and the careful handling of layered paint, artists continue the legacy of Vermeer, van Eyck, and Bouguereau—transforming monochrome structure into lifelike presence…

Alexander Art Academy | Portrait Painting | John Singer Sargent | Header

3. PORTRAIT PAINTING – JOHN SINGER SARGENT

Sargent’s core philosophy — to prioritise expressive realism over photographic detail, to paint with confidence and economy, using each brushstroke deliberately, and to balance structure and spontaneity in his portraits, often with lost-and-found edges….

Alexander Art Academy | Portrait Painting | Joaquin Sorolla | Header

4. PORTRAIT PAINTING – JOAQUIN SOROLLA

Sorolla takes us to the next level with his ability to capture sunlight, use vibrant colour and expressive gesture rather than over-detailed layering; painting with bold confidence, brushstroke economy and strong edge control; resolving the figure in light and atmosphere…

Alexander Art Academy | Portrait Painting | Anders Zorn | Header

5. PORTRAIT PAINTING – ANDERS ZORN

This lesson examines the portrait techniques of Anders Zorn, the Swedish master renowned for his confident brushwork, tonal clarity, and powerful use of a dramatically limited palette – The Zorn palette…

Welcome to Drawing Basics, the perfect starting point for building a strong foundation in art. This course is designed to teach you essential techniques, from understanding shapes and proportions to mastering shading and perspective. Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to refresh your skills, you’ll gain the confidence to bring your creative ideas to life. Let’s embark on this artistic journey together!

1. DRAWING EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS

The Drawing Basics course is crafted to keep you motivated and on track. It’s perfect for beginners starting from scratch or intermediate artists seeking to sharpen their foundational skills…

2. DRAWING SHAPES

Recognising and simplifying forms into basic shapes is a foundational principle in art. Instead of attempting to draw an entire subject at once, break it down into simple 2D shapes. Training the eye to identify these shapes within a subject improves structural accuracy and composition…

3. INTRODUCTION TO FORMS

Drawing realistic objects begins with understanding and simplifying shapes and forms. In this lesson, we will examine how to convert these simple shapes into basic 3D forms…

4. DRAWING CYLINDERS

Understanding how cylinders behave in space is fundamental for constructing complex forms accurately in perspective. It also enhances an artist’s ability to create realistic shading and volume, improving overall form rendering…

Alexander Art Academy - Linear Perspective - Header

5. LINEAR PERSPECTIVE

Understanding perspective is essential for creating realistic drawings and paintings. Linear perspective helps artists depict depth and space on a two-dimensional surface, making objects appear three-dimensional…

6. LIGHT, SHADOW, AND FORM

Understanding how light interacts with form is fundamental to achieving realism and depth in drawing. Light allows us to perceive shapes, edges, volumes, textures, and spatial relationships…

7. CHARLES BARGUE PLATES

At the heart of classical drawing lies the ability to observe accurately and translate that into confident, intentional marks. The Charles Bargue Drawing Course remains a cornerstone in training this skill…

8. THE ASARO HEAD

The Asaro Head, also known as the Planes of the Head, is a simplified, geometric 3D model of the human head designed by artist John Asaro in 1976 who was classically trained and created the planar head to help students understand form through value…

9. MEASURING THE FACE

Drawing the human face requires more than observation—it demands precise measurement, alignment, memorisation of facial landmarks, and a structured approach. In this lesson, we will explore essential techniques that enable artists to transfer the proportions…

10. DRAWING THE HEAD AT ANY ANGLE

Drawing the human face requires more than observation—it demands precise measurement, alignment, memorisation of facial landmarks, and a structured approach. In this lesson, we will explore essential techniques that enable artists to transfer the proportions…

11. MASTERING SHADING TECHNIQUES

Shading is fundamental to realistic drawing. It allows us to create the illusion of depth, volume, texture, and light. Understanding shading techniques not only improves your ability to render form but also enhances your control over tonal values…

12. EDGES IN DRAWING

In drawing—especially in portraiture—edges play a crucial role in how we perceive form, depth, and focus. Edges are not actual lines on the face but transitions between shapes, values, or forms. Learning to recognise and render edges sensitively can elevate a portrait…

13. LINE AND LINE QUALITY

Line quality is a fundamental yet often overlooked aspect of drawing. It encompasses the weight, thickness, sharpness, softness, and continuity of lines, and how these qualities communicate form, depth, light, texture, and mood…

14. FACIAL FEATURES – EYES

This lesson will break down the different aspects of the eye, step by step, using pencil techniques to create realistic form and depth. The eye is a complex, three-dimensional structure that requires careful observation to capture its depth and expressiveness…

15. SOFT PASTEL BABY PORTRAIT

Pastel baby portraits demand accuracy and sensitivity. By adapting the Loomis construction for infant proportions and handling pastels with soft transitions, you can achieve portraits that convey tenderness and innocence…

Painterly painting techniques emphasize visible brushstrokes, texture, and the physical application of paint, prioritizing overall impression and emotional impact over precise details and smooth surfaces.

Alexander Art Academy | Painterly Painting Techniques | Header

1. PAINTERLY PAINTING TECHNIQUES – INTRO

Painterly refers to the approach or technique of the artist’s application of paint in a ‘loose’ or less controlled manner, creating the illusion of form with colours, strokes, and textures…

Alexander Art Academy | Broken Colour | Header

2. BROKEN COLOUR TECHNIQUE

Broken colour painting is a technique used in painterly styles where colours are applied with a brush or palette knife in discrete strokes, dabs, or patches rather than being smoothly blended…

3. BROKEN EDGES TECHNIQUE

In this lesson, we will explore the concept of broken edges and their role in creating a painterly effect in your artwork. Broken edges, where transitions between forms and colours are suggested rather than clearly defined, are a powerful tool for adding energy, movement, and depth to your paintings…

4. BRUSH HANDLING & MARK-MAKING TECHNIQUES

In this lesson, we will explore a deeper understanding of controlling your brush to produce both deliberate and spontaneous mark-making, helping you cultivate a more confident and expressive painting style…

5. BRUSHSTROKE ECONOMY I

In painting, brushstroke economy refers to the intentional and efficient use of brushstrokes or marks to convey a desired effect, a simplified value range, implied detail, or impression in a composition…

Alexander Art Academy | Brushstroke Economy II | Header

6. BRUSHSTROKE ECONOMY II

Each brushstroke is deliberate and adds meaningful detail to the artwork, reducing unnecessary or redundant marks…

7. BLENDING ABSTRACTION & REALISM

In this lesson, we will learn to blend abstract and realistic elements in portrait painting by deconstructing the expressionistic technique of Lionel Smit…

8. LOOSEN UP WITHOUT LOSING CONTROL

By the end of this lesson, you should have a clearer understanding of how to apply painterly techniques to create expressive, loose paintings while maintaining structure and avoiding a chaotic result…

9. IMPRESSIONISTIC REALISM

In this lesson we will explore the technique of a renowned South African artist Ryno Swart, known for his expressive, painterly approach to figurative and landscape painting…

10. PAINTERLY FLORALS

Painterly floral painting celebrates the beauty and spontaneity of nature. This style emphasises bold brushwork, vibrant colour, and expressive composition…

Resources | Alexander Art Academy | Creating Texture

These lessons explore new materials and techniques to bring textures to life in your artwork. From rugged cliffs to intricate fur patterns, and even emulating Turner’s distinctive painting style, and much more.

Drawing Animal Fur - Header

1. DRAWING ANIMAL FUR

Drawing animal fur is all about understanding the techniques required to create the illusion of texture. In this lesson, we explore the texture techniques involved in drawing animal fur with graphite pencils. Careful observation and attention to detail will be essential…

Resources | Creating Texture - Painting Animal Fur - Header

2. PAINTING ANIMAL FUR

When painting animal fur, avoid focusing on rendering every single hair or fine detail initially. Begin by blocking in the general shapes of lights and darks, then add colour, and finally refine the details. A wider value range will enhance the realism of the animal’s appearance…

Resources | Alexander Art Academy | Acrylic Texture Paste - Header

3. AAA TEXTURE PASTE

Painstakingly painting the simulated texture of rock surfaces or bark can be tedious. There is an easier technique where texture paste does most of the work for you. In this lesson, we will explore the techniques involving creating actual texture with the AAA texture paste…

Resources | Alexander Art Academy | Creating Texture - Scumbling Technique - Header

4. SCUMBLING TECHNIQUE

Scumbling, a dry brush technique, was initially developed for oil painting but is adaptable to acrylics, watercolours, and drawing media. It involves applying a thin, opaque layer of paint lightly and unevenly, usually with a stiff-bristled flat brush, over a dry layer…

Alexander Art Academy | Creating Texture | Palette Knife Technique - Header

5. PALETTE KNIFE TECHNIQUE

The palette knife, also known as a painting knife, can also be used to create some stunning effects in your paintings that are not possible with a brush. For example, the sharp-edged highlights on rocks or cliffs, thin fences or telephone wires, tree bark, textured foreground grasses, etc…

Alexander Art Academy | Creating Texture - Impasto-Technique - Header

6. IMPASTO TECHNIQUE

Impasto is a painting technique where paint is applied in thick, textured layers, creating a three-dimensional effect on the painted surface. This method emphasizes the physicality and materiality of the paint itself, showcasing the brushstrokes and marks left by palette knives or brushes…

Alexander Art Academy | Creating Texture | Collage - Head

7. COLLAGE

Collage work is an artistic technique and form of visual art that involves assembling and adhering various materials such as paper, fabric, photographs, and other found objects onto a surface to create a cohesive and often intricate composition…

Alexander Art Academy | Creating Texture | Acrylic Transfer | Header

8. ACRYLIC TRANSFER

The acrylic transfer technique is a process in fine art where an image, typically laser printed on paper, is transferred onto a new surface using acrylic mediums. This technique involves applying a layer of acrylic gel medium or acrylic paint onto the desired surface, pressing the printed image face down onto the wet medium, and then allowing it to dry…

Alexander Art Academy | Texture Paste and Gilding - Header

9. TEXTURE PASTE & GILDING

In this lesson, we will deconstruct the technique used by Gustav Klimt to create a textured gold-leaf painting using acrylic size, imitation gold leaf (also known as composition or Dutch metal leaf), acrylic texture paste, and a syringe or squeeze bottle…

Alexander Art Academy | Creating Texture | Water Texture | Header

10. WATER TEXTURE – WAVES, FOAM & SPRAY

In this lesson, we will explore techniques for painting realistic water texture, focusing on capturing the dynamic elements of waves, sea foam, and sea spray. By mastering these techniques, you’ll be able to create stunning ocean scenes that convey movement, depth, and realism…

Alexander Art Academy | Modeling Paste | Header

11. MODELING PASTE

In this lesson, we will explore modelling paste, which is a thick, viscous medium used in painting and mixed media to create textured surfaces. It is typically made from acrylic polymer emulsion and marble dust or other fine fillers, resulting in a dense, paste-like consistency…

Resources | Alexander Art Academy | Colour Theory | Header

This course covers everything you need to know about colour theory, from concepts to terminology and colour mixing applications.

Paint Brand Logos

1. PAINT CHARACTERISTIC INDICATORS

Have you ever wondered about the significance of the symbols and numbers on your paint tubes? This lesson explores the standardized information about the paint’s chemical properties that these markings convey…

Alexander Art Academy | | Colour Theory | Pigment Properties - Header

2. PIGMENT PROPERTIES

Understanding pigment properties empowers artists to manipulate colour effectively, express their artistic vision, maintain the longevity of their artworks, develop technical skills, and make informed decisions about materials—all contributing to the quality and success of their artistic practice…

Alexander Art Academy | Colour Theory | Chromatic Black - Header

3. CHROMATIC BLACK

Chromatic black is a mixed colour that appears black without containing any black pigment. It can be created by blending the darkest hues of complementary colours, typically a transparent or semi-transparent blue with brown or red with green…

Colour Theory - Basic Colour Palette - Header

4. BASIC COLOUR PALETTE

Mastery in colour mixing from a basic colour palette comes from comprehending how different colours interact and influence each other, which is better achieved with a more focused selection of colours…

Alexander Art Academy | Colour Theory | Colours of Light - Header

5. COLOURS OF LIGHT

A good understanding of the relationship between colour and light, and how colours relate to one another, is foundational for creating captivating, technically sound, and emotionally resonant artworks…

Alexander Art Academy | Colour Theory | Seeing Colour - Header

6. SEEING COLOUR

We see colour when light wavelengths are focused by our eye lenses and projected onto our retinas, which contain rods for black, white, and grey detection and cones for colour detection. By comprehending the science behind colour perception, artists can better harness the full potential of their palettes to create visually compelling and harmonious pieces…

Alexander Art Academy | Colour Theory | Colour Systems - Header

7. COLOUR SYSTEMS

As artists, it is essential that we understand colour systems so that we can develop both our visual and mental acuity and make informed decisions about the colours we use. Understanding basic colour systems helps artists accurately mix various hues, tints, tones, and shades using a foundational colour palette derived from these systems…

Alexander Art Academy | Colour Theory | Colour Wheel | Header

8. THE COLOUR WHEEL

How do we use our knowledge about the science behind light and colour to organise a visual system that we can use to achieve our artistic goals? The easiest way to view the colour relationships is through a circular diagram called the colour wheel…

Alexander Art Academy | Colour Theroy | Hue - Header

9. DIMENSIONS OF COLOUR – HUE

Hue – The attribute of a colour by virtue of which it is discernible as red, green, etc., and which is dependent on a particular wavelength of visible light. It is the dominance of the wavelength that produces a particular hue and is independent of intensity or lightness…

Alexander Art Academy | Colour Theory | Dimensions of Colour | Value - Header

10. DIMENSIONS OF COLOUR – VALUE

The second dimension of colour is value. Value measures the quantity or degree of light reflected—how light or dark a colour is. Adding white makes the colour lighter, creating tints, while adding black or chromatic black makes it darker, creating shades…

Alexander Art Academy | Colour Theory | Values Relationship to Colour | Header

11. VALUE’S RELATIONSHIP TO COLOUR

The second dimension of colour is value. Value measures the quantity or degree of light reflected—how light or dark a colour is. Adding white makes the colour lighter, creating tints, while adding black or chromatic black makes it darker, creating shades…

Alexander Art Academy | Colour Theory | Dimensions of Colour - Chroma - Header

12. DIMENSIONS OF COLOUR – CHROMA

Chroma, often referred to as saturation, intensity, vividness, or purity of colour, plays a fundamental role in how we perceive and use colours. It defines the brightness or dullness of a colour, ranging from vibrant, highly saturated hues to muted, low-intensity tones…

ART TALKS & ARTICLES

PRICING YOUR ARTWORK

A talk by Marc Alexander. One of the most common and often most difficult questions emerging artists face is: How do I price my artwork? How do we find the balance between value and fairness. It’s not simply about choosing a number; pricing is both a creative and strategic decision…

NAVIGATING CREATIVITY:

Copyright, AI, and Artistic Integrity
A talk by Marc Alexander. Marc discusses various guidelines for navigating creative integrity in today’s art world, covering topics such as copyright, licensing, derivative artwork, plagiarism, and the role of artificial intelligence in artistic processes…

Alexander Art Academy | Marc Alexander - Enchanted Forest II - Dreams of an Enchanted World | Gilding the Image

GILDING THE IMAGE

Marc Alexander demonstrates his techniques for gilding the image using gold leaf in his oil painting. The article was published in The Artist UK June 2016 edition.